Reading and Literary Analysis

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Reading Analysis
Langston Hughes is one of the most famous and prolific artists and poets in history; he wrote poems on mountains and nature, children books, essays, operettas, and short stories. Most of his poems carry rhythm, meter, and different forms of music that depict African-American spirituals. For many years, he advocated for civil rights and raised his voice against injustice and racism. In Harlem, Langston Hughes asks a number of questions about dreams, and it looks like he is interested in knowing the facts and truth behind dreaming. Hughes also shows concerns regarding what happens if dreams are postponed or ignored in one way or the other. In the past, Langston saw in his dreams that residents of Harlem, New York crumbled in the wake of World War II. Langston Hughes was part of an artistic movement of African Americans (the Harlem Renaissance), which played a significant role in establishing names during the 1930s. He continued influencing the world through his poems that contained vivid imagery and street language. Some of the readers may take his poem Harlem as a warning, thinking that the speaker means to say that deferred dreams would lead to social unrest. However, Langston Hughes uses clear words and understandable language to provide answers to his question (what happens if dreams are ignored or forgotten). He analyses the things around him and uses some literary devices such as diction and imagery to clarify his point of view.
Diction is all about the poet’s choice of words. He uses words like “dry up” and “rotten meat” to make himself clear. At the same time, imagery is where Langston Hughes uses a language that connects the reader to something different and extraordinarily special. For example, words like “sags” and “heavy load” depict Langston Hughes’s selection of imagery (Hughes 26). The poet seems to be concerned because, according to him, if dreams are ignored, then they will dry up just like raising in the sun. Through this poem, Langston Hughes wants his readers to understand that one should live his dreams and should not ignore things that make him happy. Sometimes a person begins ignoring himself, keeps working hard to earn a living, and does not pay attention to what he actually wants in his life or...